Inside Stacey Shoemaker Rauen's Waterfront Family Haven in Rumson, New Jersey

From the street, Stacey Shoemaker Rauen's home in Rumson, New Jersey, doesn't shout. It doesn't need to. Step inside, and the energy shifts—calm, collected, quietly confident. It's the kind of house that reveals itself slowly, in thoughtful details and well-worn rhythms. Where good design is matched only by the sense that real life is actually being lived here.

As the editor-in-chief of Hospitality Design magazine, Rauen knows good design. But this home, perched along the water on Bucks Black Point Horseshoe, isn't just about aesthetics, it's about intention. "This is where I plan to be for a long time," she says, a sentiment that feels both deeply personal and universally understood. After eleven years in Williamsburg, Brooklyn—where they'd renovated and combined two apartments as their family of five grew—the move to New Jersey marked a kind of homecoming.

The house itself had been sitting on the market, overlooked thanks to uninspired listing photos and a need for some serious TLC. But the couple knew that the bones were right, and the location sealed the deal: a waterfront property on a kid-friendly curve of a street. "Coming from Brooklyn, where you had to be a helicopter parent all the time," she says, "this was exactly what we needed."

What followed was a full-scale renovation that Rauen jokingly dubbed "the mullet"—business in the front, party in the back. The team preserved the home's street-side character while opening up the back of the house to create an easy flow to the outdoors. With help from an architect and designer, they crafted a space that not only looked beautiful but supported how the family actually lives.

At the heart of it all is the kitchen—bright, white, and accented in blues that echo the nearby river. After years of navigating their Brooklyn kitchen that felt gray on gray days, Rauen craved something that felt expansive and light. "I just wanted something bright," she says. "When you come home, you should feel like you're at home." She now takes Zoom calls from the counter, so picturesque that people often ask if her background is fake.

Elsewhere, personality shines through in quieter (but no less intentional) moments. The powder room is a standout—marble, colorful tile, and an unapologetically feminine touch in a house full of boys. "I really wanted something more feminine since I live with four men all the time," Rauen laughs.

Of course, the renovation wasn't all smooth sailing. From weekend stays to full-time rentals, the transition stretched far longer than planned. "It was absolute chaos," she admits. But now? Now the house tells a different story. Her husband's childhood Eames chair (a.k.a. the "Nintendo chair") sits proudly in the living room. A ping pong table awaits its future as a billiards table. Built-in bookshelves pay homage to the storage solutions they left behind in Brooklyn.

In the end, this house is more than a renovation story. It's a reflection of the life her family wanted to build: rooted, intentional, and full of connection. "I wanted it to be the kind of house where people just hang out," she says. "Because there's nothing worse than having a house no one's ever in."

Mission accomplished. This is a home that's meant to be lived in—where bikes on pavement and waves on the water soundtrack daily life, and every room has a purpose that feels personal.